Rat Tail Bleeding Models: A Comprehensive Review

Objectives: Rat tail bleeding models are commonly preferred by researchers for evaluating efficacy of potential hemostatic and anticoagulant agents. Although they are used frequently, there are inconsistencies in terms of methodology and terminology among different studies. As hemostatic and anticoagulant agents are useful to decrease deaths from bleeding, standardization of rat tail bleeding models is crucial for reliability of research.Methods: In 2023, a targeted research was performed in the PUBMED database using the query "rat tail bleeding". The abstracts and methods of 172 articles were examined to identify studies specifically using rat tail bleeding models and 70 relevant articles were selected.Results: Literature review revealed significant variations between studies using the same method including other studies implementing the same model and naming it differently. Additionally, differences in tools used, incision depths, and bleeding assessment techniques contribute to inconsistencies affecting reliability of these models.Conclusions: The literature on rat tail bleeding models lacks consistency and standardization, which affects the reliability and reproducibility of research. Many studies use different names for the same model, which can confuse some researchers. Furthermore, there are variations in methodology even among studies using the same model. To address these issues, standardization of rat tail bleeding models is necessary as they are essential for evaluating hemostatic and anticoagulant agents.